Mark Bocek and Jim Miller put on an exciting ground war in front of Miller’s hometown Jersey crowd.
Both fighters found themselves in deep trouble. Miller latched on a kimura from half guard in round one, using it to sweet Bocek. Miller held on to the hold and came close to submitting the black belt before Bocek regained guard.
In the last minute of the second round, Bocek trapped Miller and Miller’s right arm in a tight body triangle. Left with a single hand to defend, Miller gamely thwarted Bocek’s attempts at a rear naked choke and me it to round three.
The third round didn’t provide much separation after Miller and Bocek split the first two rounds. Miller had the upper hand in the striking department, landing often while avoiding Bocek’s returns. Bocek fought back with takedowns and control on the floor. A late takedown may have sealed the nod to Bocek, but Miller took control of his back to close out the round.
The judges ended up with three 29-28 scorecards for Jim Miller, giving Kurt Pellegrino the opportunity for the New Jersey sweep later in the night.